1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle charge inlet structure which is suitably used for an automobile.
2) Description of the Related Art
In recent years, development efforts have been intensified for electric vehicles which travel by the motor torque generated by an electric motor and hybrid electric vehicles which travel by a combination of the motor torque from an electric motor and the engine torque generated by an internal combustion engine. Such electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles each include an electric power storage, such as a battery or capacitor, and the power stored in the electric power storage is used for driving the electric motor. The battery mounted in the electric vehicle is charged with power supplied from a charge facility external to the vehicle.
Furthermore, hybrid electric vehicles are generally designed to drive the electric generator with the internal combustion engine, and the power generated by the electric generator is used to charge the battery. Similarly to electric vehicles, there are other types of vehicles whose battery can be charged with power supplied from a charge facility external to the vehicle (such vehicles are sometimes called “plug-in hybrid automobiles”).
For example, Japanese Patent No. 4293250 (hereinafter, referred to as “Soma”) discloses an hybrid vehicle (100) having a high-voltage charging and power-feeding unit (210) and a low-voltage charging and power-feeding unit (90), as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 of Soma.
Note that electric vehicles equipped with an electric motor without an internal combustion engine are sometimes referred to as “battery electric vehicles (BEVs).” Herein, they are simply referred to as “electric vehicles.”
In the disclosure of Soma, the high-voltage charging and power-feeding unit (210) is provided on a rear bumper (304) while the low-voltage charging and power-feeding unit (90) is provided on a front face (310), as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in Soma.
Furthermore, the high-voltage charging and power-feeding unit (210) is provided with a lid member (210A), and the low-voltage charging and power-feeding unit (90) is also provided with a lid member (90A).
Such a construction of Soma may be user-unfriendly. More specifically, a user of the hybrid vehicle (100) has to consider how the vehicle has to be parked, i.e., which of the high-voltage charging and power-feeding unit (210) or the low-voltage charging and power-feeding unit (90) should be positioned closer to a charge facility.
In other words, when the charge facility is a dedicated charge facility, such as a charging station, which supplies power at a relatively higher voltage (higher-voltage power), the hybrid vehicle (100) has to be parked within a range where a higher-voltage power-feeding cable extending from the charging station can be connected to the high-voltage charging and power-feeding unit (210).
In contrast, when the charge facility is a power outlet in a general facility, such as a house or store, which supplies power at a relatively lower voltage (lower-voltage power), the hybrid vehicle (100) has to be parked within a range where a lower-voltage power-feeding cable to be connected to the power outlet can be connected to the low-voltage charging and power-feeding unit (90).
However, the high-voltage charging and power-feeding unit (210) provided on the front face (310) and the low-voltage charging and power-feeding unit (90) provided on the rear bumper (304) are located distant from each other. Thus, there may be cases in which the higher-voltage power-feeding cable can be connected to the low-voltage charging and power-feeding unit (90) while the cable cannot be connected to the high-voltage charging and power-feeding unit (210), depending on where the hybrid vehicle (100) is parked. Similarly, there may be other situations where the lower-voltage power-feeding cable can be connected to the high-voltage charging and power-feeding unit (210) while it cannot be connected to the low-voltage charging and power-feeding unit (90).
In these cases, the user has to change the position of the hybrid vehicle (100), which is quite user-unfriendly.
Furthermore, the disclosure of Soma requires multiple lid members (210A and 90A), which results in an increase in the parts count.
Furthermore, provision of the multiple lid members (210A and 90A) conspicuously on the vehicle may spoil the design of the vehicle.